The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday arrested another key accused in the ongoing NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case probe. The accused, identified as Manisha Sanjay Havaldar, was arrested from
Pune in connection with the alleged Physics question paper leak.
Havaldar is currently employed at Seth Hiralal Saraf Prashala in Pune, Maharashtra, and had been appointed by the National Testing Agency (NTA) as an expert involved in the examination process.
According to officials, Havaldar is believed to have played a central role in sharing Physics questions with a co-accused, as part of the alleged leak network being investigated by the CBI.
A CBI spokesperson said Havaldar had access to the Physics question papers for NEET-UG 2026 in her capacity as an examination expert. The agency said she allegedly passed on several questions in April 2026 to another accused, who has already been arrested in the case.
Investigators further stated that the questions shared by Havaldar have been matched and tallied with items that later appeared in the final NEET-UG 2026 Physics paper sets.
“The CBI conducted searches at various locations across the country and seized several incriminating documents, laptops, bank statements and mobile phones. A detailed analysis of the seized items is underway,” the agency said.
So far, the probe has led to the arrest of 11 individuals, with coordinated searches and seizures carried out across multiple locations in the country as part of the widening investigation.
The CBI has also confirmed that digital and documentary evidence is being examined to trace the flow of leaked material and identify other possible links in the network.
Earlier, co-accused Manisha Mandhare, a Biology subject expert from Pune’s Modern College of Arts, was arrested on May 16. Officials said she was involved in handling Biology-related content, including Botany and Zoology sections, giving her wider access to the examination material than initially assessed.
On May 12, the NTA cancelled the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate), or NEET, held on May 3 for medical admissions amid allegations of paper leak. A re-examination has been scheduled for June 21.
(With inputs from PTI)
